Incident reporting guide
Community service organisations have a mandatory responsibility to report category one
incidents to the relevant senior Department of Human Services officer (the relevant executive
officer, regional director or other nominated officer) for the service. Where a category one
incident occurs in departmental direct services, the supervisor must inform the program
manager, and ensure that an incident report is completed and forwarded to the regional
director, or Director, Youth Justice Custodial Services (YJCS), via the relevant line manager,
immediately. Category one incident reports must be completed and forwarded to the regional
director, or Director, YJCS, as soon as possible but no later than the next working day.
Category one incidents are the most serious and such incidents occurring at the service or during service delivery must be
reported. In the case of disability clients, and statutory child protection and youth justice clients, incidents at other times must also
be reported. Category one incidents include:
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The death of, or serious injury to, a client.
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Allegations of, or actual serious sexual or serious physical assault of a client. Further detail is provided later in this guide and in the
Incident Reporting Instruction.
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A serious fire involving death or serious injury.
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A serious fire in programs other than Housing (involving closure or significant damage to parts of a building or its contents).
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Serious property damage in programs other than Housing.
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Any escape of a person in custody in a Youth Justice Centre and absconding from temporary leave.
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Unauthorised absenteeism from Disability Services secure forensic services.
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The apparent alcohol or drug related death of an Alcohol and Drug Services client irrespective of the location of the incident.
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An event that has the potential to involve the relevant minister, or subject the department or community service organisation to
high levels of public or legal scrutiny.
Category one incidents
All category two incidents must be reported as soon as possible, and within two working days,
via the incident report form. Community service organisations must report all category two
incidents to the department’s regional Program and Service Advisor (PASA). Where a category
two incident occurs in departmental direct services, the supervisor must ensure that an incident
report is completed and forwarded to the regional program manager. The senior regional program
manager or Youth Justice Centre CEO will review category two incident reports.
Special requirement for category two incidents involving Placement and Support
Clients of Community Service Organisations:
The incident report must be sent to the Child Protection Unit Manager and the Placement and
Support Manager. The region will ensure that the PASA receives a copy.
Category two incidents involve events that seriously threaten clients or staff, but do not meet the category one definition.
Category two incidents typically include:
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Incidents that result in injuries requiring medical attention, and assaults that do not classify as category one incidents.
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Serious threats made against clients or staff.
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Unethical behaviour by staff, particularly if it involves taking advantage of clients.
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Client behaviour that could result in potential risk to client or others.
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Criminal behaviour resulting in police intervention.
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Incidents that did not lead to significant client or staff injury or death, but very nearly did (near misses).
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Unauthorised absenteeism resulting in a warrant being sought, or a missing persons report filed, for a client from a Placement and
Support agency.
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Unauthorised absenteeism without approval whilst subject to a supervised treatment order.
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Incidents that have the potential to escalate to category one.
Category two incidents
Category three incidents must be reported as soon as possible, and within two working
days, via the incident report form. Category three incidents may provide an early warning of a
more significant event to come, or point over time to issues with a particular client or a
particular work location. Staff in both departmental direct services and community service
organisations are encouraged to maintain a register of category three incidents and to regularly
review the register for trends. Departmental direct services and CSOs are required to file copies
of all reports and review incidents as part of quality assurance.
Special requirement for category three incidents involving Placement and Support
Clients of Community Service Organisations:
An incident report for every category three incident must be forwarded to the Placement
and Support Manager and the regional Program and Service Advisor.
Category three incidents occur where normal work and routine is interrupted, but the
significance of the incident does not extend beyond the workplace or facility. They include those
which:
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Can be dealt with adequately by the facility or work unit; and
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Have no further implications for the department, region or the community.
Category three incidents include:
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Minor neighbourhood complaint;
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Minor property damage; and
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Injury not requiring medical attention.
Category three incidents
The incident report form must be completed by the most senior witness to the incident, or the
person to whom the incident was reported if there were no witnesses. Objective language
should be used. Reports must be legible and presented in the specified format. They
must include corrective action taken to minimise the likelihood of a repeated occurrence of
the incident.
Departmental contact
officer
Phone
Fax
In the event of an incident:
The responsibility for the management of an incident rests at the
local service level. The process for managing incidents in
departmental services and community service organisations must
include:
●
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Responding to the immediate needs of individuals involved,
including staff.
Taking any remedial action necessary to re-establish a safe
environment – this is the first priority where there continues to
be a threat.
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Communicating with the client or staff member and (as
appropriate) relatives/carers/friends/advocates and other
service providers in a timely manner.
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Communicating with regional or YJCS management through
verbal and written incident reports in accordance with an
approach of positive, non-punitive reporting.
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Generating and implementing improvement strategies and
action plans, consulting with the region and program as
appropriate.
When an incident occurs
Completing an incident report
1. Record on the incident form:
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Location and time of incident.
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Nature of incident.
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Names of people involved.
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Name of person reporting incident.
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Nature and extent of any injuries.
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Time incident reported.
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What action is being taken in response to
the incident.
2. Verify all details
The incident report form is available from
http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/dhsforms.htm
It is also on the departmental intranet on the
Human Resources Branch site at
http://knowledgenet/HRB/incident/index.htm
Physical and sexual assault are crimes against the person. Many clients, including young people
and people with a disability, are at a greater risk of physical and sexual assault than the general
population.
Physical assault
Physical abuse includes physical assault and consists of any non-accidental form of injury or serious
harm caused by the direct or indirect application of force to a person. Physical injury includes but is
not limited to bruising, cuts, internal injuries, dislocated or broken bones, welts or burns. Assault may
also include other actions including spitting or serious threatened or attempted assault (for example,
involving a weapon) that results in discomfort or pain.
Sexual assault
Sexual abuse includes rape, assault with intent to rape and indecent assault. Indecent assaults are
assaults that are accompanied by circumstances of indecency. Examples are unwelcome kissing or
touching in the area of a person’s breasts, buttocks or genitals. Indecent assault can also include
behaviour that does not involve actual touching such as forcing someone to watch pornography or
masturbation. Rape is the intentional sexual penetration of another person without that person’s
consent. Consent is not a defence to some sexual offences, particularly those relating to the sexual
exploitation of young people and people with a mental impairment.
Classifying assault incidents must follow the table below as a minimum requirement.
Category
Type of alleged assault
Category one
Rape of or by a client.
Rape or indecent assault by a staff member, volunteer carer, or member of the volunteer carer’s household.
Production of child pornography by a client, staff member, or volunteer.
Physical assault of a client by a staff member, volunteer carer, or member of the volunteer carer’s household
(regardless of the need for medical attention).
Physical assault of or by a client resulting in medical attention being required for the victim (that is, treatment
by a medical practitioner).
Physical assault of or by a client involving a weapon such as a knife, hammer, or other object.
Category two
Sexualised play of a concerning nature by a client.
Physical assault of or by a client resulting in first aid being required for the victim. (This does not include
the assault of a client by a staff member or volunteer carer).
Category three
Shoving or pushing between clients that does not cause injury.
Indecent assault of or by a client will usually be categorised as a category one or two incident depending on the circumstances of
the event. The level of distress caused to the victim is a factor in categorising the incident. For clients in out-of-home care,
however, indecent assault of a client will always be classified as category one.
Physical and sexual assault
Keep this ready reckoner pinned to the office noticeboard or close to the phone.
This flipchart is based on the
Incident Reporting Departmental Instruction
March 2008